far_landsfandomcom-20200215-history
Religions
The world of Azura is home to a multide of religions, most of them worshipping different spirits and demons in hopes of better crops, good forture, etc. Kingdom Religions Dahearism (Earth Spirit, Central) The religion; named after the supposed prophet who started the religion, began as something of a cult in Dormian times but gained popularity afterwards in Central. The religion worships earth spirits which are considered to be physical manifestations of the planet itself. The religion teaches that all beings are made from the earth and that there is an afterlife in a 'under-world' where souls are either rewarded or punished based on their actions on the surface. Earth spirits are also prayed to for intercession or simply to commune with the planet as it is believed only earth spirits are capable of doing so. Currently this religion is the official religion of the Central Kingdom. Terramancers and herbomancers are also considered the most favorable choices for priests and holy men as they are thought to be the most qualified to commune with earth spirits. Prayers are offered through pages on massive leather-bound tomes which are collected in temples and buried by priests. The Divine Wind (Air Spirit, Eastern) The Divine Wind is a religion practised nearly exclusively by the Eastern Kingdom, which espouses the belief that an air spirit far more powerful than any other spirit known as The Divine Wind exists and is the protector of the people of Azura, being in control of the wind and air. It is also believed that The Divine Wind chose the Easterners as its chosen people and is the one who guided Eastern ships to the various islands that created their empire, as well as the belief that the Eastern empress is divine and their mandates blessed by The Divine Wind, with the first ruler Shia Shotaro considered the first one to be blessed by The Divine and the one that lead the Easterners to their land. However, it is also widely believed that the fall of the Easterners' empire was caused by a lack of faith and corruption of the people, with many priestesses presently attempting to engage the people of the East and bring them back to the path of righteousness in order to restore their favour with The Divine Wind. The clergy of this faith is largely composed of women, and whilst the Empress is considered the arm of justice and protection of faith, the Eastern Matriarch who resides in the island fortress of Kazena is the head of the religion and believed to be in direct contact with the Divine Wind. The Matriarch, traditionally, is a former Empress who will decide after reigning for 20 years whether they will ascend to Matriarchy. If the Empress dies before having the chance to become a Matriarch, the position runs to the heir's sister. However, if the heir does not have a sister, then it is considered a sign from the Divine Wind that the Kingdom's faith is not strong enough to be in direct contact with the spirits. Currently, under the reign of Amaya Shotaro, there is no Matriarch. This is because the previous Empress died before reaching a 20 year reign, and Amaya's sister died before her coronation, leaving Amaya as the only child of her mother and only heir to the throne. Aguaraism (Water Spirit, "Western") This religion first started in the Western Kingdom from sailors who claim to have experienced holy revelations while on voyages. The main beliefs of the religion include the belief that eventually the entire planet will be submerged by the god known as Aguara and that only the faithful and holy will survive, as well as the belief that the souls of the wicked will be drowned while the righteous will be reincarnated until the day the world floods and they will be ultimately saved. The religion rejects the idea of worldly wealth and encourages the forgoing of worldly corruptions such as greed and selfishness and encourages humility and honor, with these beliefs serving to give the impoverished peasantry of the West a sense of hope and purpose in a world where they have little. The religion states that a messenger of Aguara exists and it's soul reincarnates when it dies, the religion has spread widely with no real structure and effectively anyone willing to give up worldly wealth allowed to be priests. Though in the West where this religion originates it is widely looked down upon by the aristocracy and mocked as nothing more than peasant superstition. Other Religions and Beliefs Firbra (Fire Spirit) The Religion of Firbra devotes its name to the spirit of fire, and the ‘vessels’ that he has sent to the world in the form of fire spirits. It is said that the sun in the sky is the destiny of all existing realms, and that the existing ones are just planes which are awaiting his presence. The religion itself is generally practiced by radicalists, who sacrifice themselves or their belongings in the hopes of becoming a ‘vessel’ of the lord, taking the form of a fire spirit, Although others who believes in the religion seek guidance in times of unsurety, hoping for ‘fire to light the path’. Utexism Utexism was a former, multi-race religion that soon went near-extinct after much more widespread and common religions took it’s place. According to Utexism the maiden spirit ‘Utex’ created all realms to accompany her in eternity so she doesn’t succumb to her own loneliness in the eternal void. Churches that practice Utexism have been left in ruin, but folklore and stories of Utexism still spread in isolated villages through tales told by travelers. In Utexism, it is said that the sun and moon are the eyes of the maiden spirit Utex herself, keeping a watchful eye over the development of all beings and cultures. Kalvely Kalvely is a rather obscure human and dwarven “religion” that is found to be a collection of folklore, tales, and epic poetry compiled together by a “Grigor Lyra” from ancient Azuran oral folklore and mythology. In larger civilizations it is regarded as a heretic religion, but in isolated human villages and dwarven communities it is regarded as a significant work of Azuran literature. It includes heroic tales of revenge and slaying gods, aswell as poetry of love and bitter lives. The religion of Kalvely claims that the sun is a great demon banished from the realm by ‘Kalvelius’, and the moon is a rock that the hero of the same name, chucked into the sky in the hopes of it falling on his enemies until his return, some say that till this day the moon waits to fall. Miriea Miriea is a ‘religion’, more so belief, circling around the idea of dreams. A common village folklore of a beautiful spirit granting children and adults alike dreams. Many say Miriea visiting and granting dreams is almost a blessing, often times dreams are expected to carry wisdom and tales of good fortune, or visions of the future. Nightmares are said to be warnings of bad omens, sometimes entailing something bad that will happen in specific people or place’s future. The phrases “I pray Miriea lets you rest easy tonight” or, “May Miriea grant you good fortune in your dreams” are commonly said. Eldritch The ‘communion’ - often regarded as no more than a cult - is somewhat of an obscure faith within Azura. It is said that, instead of the spirits known from Dormia, it focuses more on the spirits and souls of the dead. Due to such rejection, many practitioners reside in the North. It’s also rumored that people reside in the North, due to the open graves residing around. Rituals are done, but due to the bad nature it’s gained through fallacies and rumors, people often confuse it for things like demon worship of some sort. While the existence of the spirits isn’t outright denied, and members are quite neutral about their worship. It’s also frequent to see members in the desert, due to the massive amount of deaths. The amount of deaths regard the ruins as a ‘hotspot’ of sorts, as more spirits make it easier to contact at least one of them. There are many practitioners around Trepheon, but you’d never really know who, as they wouldn’t openly declare their faith. There are quite a few rituals and practices around the faith, many of them, surprisingly, being quite positive in nature. Common practices include: Knocking once on each corner of the door, to let the spirits know you are entering. Form of mutual agreement with the spirits, I.E. You don’t screw with me, I won’t screw with you. Opening house to the spirits: First, you’d draw a symbol, similar to the one to the left. Place candles around the symbol in a triangular pattern. Then, you sprinkle some sort of offering, as a form of ‘incentive’. coins, jewelry, or even forms of food. Then proceed to announce this: “Spirits, please exit the realm of the fallen, as we welcome you to ours. Spirits, we request a peaceful meeting, as you enter and exit our realm. Please, give us thy wisdom.’ In order to close a house from spirit access, one must draw eight stars in a circular pattern. Then, draw a line from gap to gap between the stars, and place your hand in the middle, and say “Spirits, you have graced us with your presence, please let us contemplate.” Talismans of sorts are also frequently used. Many are meant to ward off evil or vengeful spirits. Others are meant to provide luck or good fortune, or even spare you from violent conflict. Unfortunately, due to the practice’s negative connotation from gossip, many believe these talismans to be signs of an allegiance to evil forces. Practitioners of Eldritch often wear quite a bit of jewelry, such as rings, necklaces, bracelets, and so on. They are also rather defensive or secretive of what their beliefs are, and some may even say there may be cultists within kingdoms secretly practicing their faith under the guise of another. They are also said to wear flamboyant, beautiful clothing within their subculture. Although there could be some practitioners of some sort of dark form, they are often excommunicated, as that is the literal opposite of what the religion is about, and it just aids the bias they get from outsiders. Certain colors are likened to forces and/or emotions, such as: * Purple: Prosperity, good fortune * Green: Darkness, evil * Red: Positive energy, often used as a guard against evil * Yellow: Neutrality, peace * Orange: Very positive color, often used directly against evil forces: execration Lastly, there are seven classes: First: Tyro, very new, knows few very basic rituals Second: Ha’dan, knows most basic rituals Third: Transitional: Knows basic rituals, a few advanced ones Fourth: Listener: Knows basic rituals, intermediate understanding of the advanced Fifth: Converser: Adept at advanced rituals. Allowed to promote members. Sixth: Expert at the advanced. Allowed to promote members. Seventh: Olori: Highest level, knows most if not ALL rituals, recognized as leader, and is allowed to promote. Current Olori is a man who goes by Romba. Other assorted facts: The religion is popular on races major on necromancy. the remtar, or demons Feathers are used, but not very often. Talismans come in nearly all forms of jewelry. The existence of the spirits isn’t outright denied, and members are quite neutral about their worship.